CDD

CDD Executive Director Jeff Chester wrote in an email Thursday that child privacy advocates had scored a significant victory as the FTC had ordered Riyo to immediately destroy any data it gathers from a child or parent. The organization holds, however, that the mechanism for parental consent using facial recognition is ill-advised. “While facial recognition technology has many applications, its role protecting children’s privacy is unproven,” Chester added.

The Center for Digital Democracy CDD, in its ongoing efforts to monitor the Federal Trade Commission’s enforcement of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act COPPA, has filed a motion in the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia challenging the FTC’s refusal to release important COPPA documentation. The case involves seven “safe harbor” programs, such as KidSAFE and TRUSTe, approved by the FTC to handle website compliance with COPPA regulations.

CDD, joined by the Electronic Privacy Information Center, filed comments at the FTC yesterday opposing the request by AssertID that the commission approve a new method of verifiable parental consent under COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act). The proposed method would mine parents’ online social network information and ask third parties to judge whether that information is truthful or not, a method based on a “trust score” algorithm that the company claims is confidential and secret from the public. CDD asked the commission to oppose the application because it lacked information that explains how it assures that consenting parties are parents, and it leaves big questions about what the company is going to do with information it requires from parents.